The Uplanders - Yet Another Kind Of Bushwacking

I've recently added a new voice to my blog roll. Upland Feathers is a site dedicated to the thrills and spills of bird hunting on the other side of the pond.
Robert (half of the husband and wife team who put it together), says it's 'for sporting adventurers who have a passion for grouse, pheasant, quail, woodcock, and wild turkey hunting'.
Here in blighty the game bird season has just finished, (the pigeon season never ends) and doesn't start again until the autumn (fall). I was hoping (PLEAEEEESE BABY) to get back to South Dakota this summer to take on the challenge of Ringnecks.
If (yes dear 'when') that plan fails I'm hoping to get back to the eastern US later in the year to hunt that legendary American game bird, the turkey.
That's how I came to have read Upland Feathers. The sites a very useful clearing house of information for the visiting hunter.Featuring Where-to hunt on public lands - Public Lands! there is NO PUBLIC LAND in the UK. NONE. They also introduced me to the term 'Unboxing' which is basically the joy of taking new gear out of the box - and who doesn't love that? They follow it up too with 'In the field' gear tests and reviews the services of the guides, lodges and outfitters who can put a trip together for you. Interestingly they cover the political climate for hunters by keeping up to speed with the latest regulations from state and federal wildlife agencies and the local habitat Conservation programs.

Worth a look even if you're not planning on being there any time soon
Thanks for reading
SBW.

Picture credit dakota-pheasant-hunting.com

Centenial Bushwacker

Really 100 posts already! 50 seemed like a lot.
I thought I'd mark the occasion by giving some long overdue thanks to the people who have encouraged me along the way.
Starting a blog is very easy, actually 'blogging' is a little more challenging. To start with it was just me mumbling into cyberspace. Then all of a sudden people started to comment, best of all it was people whose work I've enjoyed reading.To say I was delighted is such an understatement. Your comments and emails have made the blog so much fun for me to write, and I hope fun for you to read too.
Starting at the beginning in the order in which they added comments:

The American Bushman:
I really like reading your blog and was SO delighted when you commented on my first post.

Kelly:
I still stand by what I said at the time 'cute is just another way of saying delicious!'

Mungo:
I'd been reading your stuff for a while, your comment was all the encouragement I needed.

Mrs L AKA Lucy: I was a really great surprise to see that you were actually reading the blog.

Cuz L AKA Lorin:
You're a voracious reader and can actually write yourself. meant a lot when you commented.lets get that camping trip together soon.

The Editor AKA Rex of the Deer Camp:
Wow I exist, Rex from the deer camp knows I'm blogging! I was really blown away that you'd read my outpourings.

boudica of suburbia:
SBW Compared to Ray Mears, you're too kind, I was a fan of your blog and then you commented!

Philip from the hog blog:
You gave me another of those 'I've arrived - someone's listening' moments.

Pablo:
I'd followed your posts on BCUK for ages I was made up that you liked the blog. Thanks.

Dana AKA The Wild Woods Woman:
You've posted some great posts and your comment was so apt.

The Hobo Stripper:
I love telling people about your blog, their assumptions are written all over their faces, hilarious! I still think you have the most unique voice of any of the blogs.

Sam AKA woodcraft in poland
I'd been reading your stuff for ages before you commented. Thanks

Darrell AKA the alpha trilogy:
Hope things are getting better, thanks again for your support

Don AKA buck hunters blog:
Another milestone, i had no idea my blog was reaching so far. thanks for commenting.

Kristine AKA gunslingergirl AKA the first lady of outdoor blogging
What can i say? Without your efforts so many people wouldn't have connected. By founding the Outdoor Bloggers Summit you've done more to promote writing about outdoor adventures than anyone. Massive thanks.

Othmar Vohringer:
Another 'I exist' moment, I'd been reading your blogs for ages and there you were reading mine!

viridari AKA the Utility Belt:
Really glad to see you posting again. Thanks for your kind words.

Barkfoot:
Great pix, great blog thanks for getting in touch

Decado:
You will forever be my favourite blogger. When you said I was an inspiration in starting your blog, well let's just say I had to buy a new hat! Thanks.

Todd AKA privative point:
I've enjoyed you blog immensely, cant say I'm not a little disappointed that you moved to the backyard smithy. PS you intro to the rasch chronicles was inspired!

Jamie The fishing blog:
I've really found your blog useful, and was very flattered that you liked mine, thanks.

The Urban Fly Fisher AKA Alistair
Inspirational tales from fly fishing the Kelvin in Scotland

The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles AKA Albert A Rasch:
You sir are a living legend.

NorCal Cazadora:
I've really enjoyed our conversations,no one can hold a candle to you for enthusiasm.

Hank AKA Hunter Gardener Angler Cook:
What can I say hank you're my wild food hero!

drew dunn
Keep posting and commenting - I'd miss you if you didn't

Kevin Kossowan
I really like your blog as I live in the 'burbs it's not likely I'll be a full time hunter who cooks, so reading the blog of a cook who hunts has been an inspiration to me. And it was nice to know you looked in

The Deptford Dame AKA Knit Nurse:
Thanks for dropping by

comfortablynumb AKA son of Hackney
See you soon

Mrs BoB
Thanks for letting me know your thoughts!

Ken Harris
Glad you like it - tell your friends!

B.O.B
Bruv - how many posts did it take before you commented?

Falls-Down-Laughing
Great blog man! thanks for stopping by.

Nordic Bushcraft AKA Johan:
Thanks for dropping by - I'm pleased you've started your blog its good.

James Marchington of Sporting Shooter:
James you deserve special thanks for services to Suburban Bushwacking. As I'm sure you noticed I really liked the rabbit hunt. See you soon.

Thanks for reading everyone - if you like it or if you think i should be investigating some aspect of bushcraft, hunting, fishing, gathering wild food, or have thought of a new way of me making a fool out of myself in the open air
POST A COMMENT!
If you've given me a mention on your site or blog and I've not reciprocated is most likely that its because technorati hasn't listed you yet - so drop me a line.
Your Pal
the suburban bushwacker

Show The Bushwacker To The Rabbit

Sunday morning dawned cold and transport-less, so I dressed up in a base layer of nylon sportswear, hoping the static generated would act as on-board central heating, with a layer of cotton work wear on top to keep out the thorns. I chose a bag that I'd be able to hose down if I needed to and said goodbye to the kids. As I was leaving the house I could hear Mrs SBW sniggering and singing Simon and Garfunkel's well known ode to successful rabbit hunting

'Bright eyes,Burning like fire.Bright eyes,How can you close the pain. How can the light that burned so brightly Suddenly burn so pale? Bright eyes.'

After three changes of train due to engineering works I was finally on my way to meet James for a spot of old-school rabbit hunting. With Ferrets.

And what a great way to spend the day it is,James and Sara met me at the station and we drove through the Sussex countryside. For readers in the US - it looks just like the farmed parts of my adopted home of Northern Virginia, except the roads are narrower and the cars are smaller.

James's dad's place is big enough to have several warrens all in different states of occupation. The biggest coney conurbation we investigated had been flooded out by the recent rains and was unoccupied. Of the five warrens we tried, two yielded a total of three bunnies.

The Ferrets are charming, they have an animated curiosity about them and while I'm sure rabbits view them as dangerous thugs, to me they look very pet-like and from what I've been reading are easy to keep as companions and hunters. Here in the UK their role in feeding a hungry nation is quite well documented with references in court papers going back at least as far as the twelfth century when a ferreter was listed as part of the Royal Court. Today Ferrets ownership and hunting counjours up an images of working class countrymen in flat caps and long coats (to hide the booty) with bulging trousers using them for poaching for the pot or pest control for the land owner but it wasn't always the case. In the 1300's you'd have needed an annual income of some forty shillings (I'm not exactly sure of the exchange rate - but it was quite a lot of money) to own a ferret and the penalty for unlicensed ownership would have been harsh. King Richard II issued a decree in 1384 allowing one of his clerks to hunt rabbits with ferrets and they're mentioned again in 1390 with a law prohibiting the use of ferrets on Sunday when feeding your family wouldn't be allowed to interfere with marshal archery practice.

Ferreting is very simple, at the end of the afternoon I asked James if there was anything more I needed to know and he replied 'that's about it'.
First you need a business of ferrets, two seems to be the preferred number. I'd recently read that one male one female was considered the best ratio, with males being more aggressive and females being more through, James reckoned that whatever you had would do at a pinch. We used the modern locator collars which certainly made things a lot easier when it cam to the digging. In days gone by you'd have had to tie a tread to your Ferret and let it pay out as the Ferret went down the hole, when the Ferret stopped taking line you'd know that it had either killed a rabbit and was taking a nap (something they're notorious for), or it had backed the bunny into a hole with no exit and wasn't letting it out. Either way it would be time to start digging along the tread until you got to the action. With a locator you're spared a hell of a lot of digging as you can find the spot from above ground and dig directly down. In the wet clay laden soil it's still hard work. If your lucky and it all goes according to plan, you've put you ferrets into the right holes the rabbits bolt out of the warren into 'purse' nets that you've secured over the exits. As the rabbit barrels into the net it's own momentum pulls the drawstring tight capturing it. These bolted bunnies are the most highly prized as without teeth marks from the Ferrets their flesh is untainted by coagulating blood and the make slightly less gamey eating.

On the subject of eating special thanks and a commendation must go to Janet (james's mum) for the huge, hearty country lunch she served us that kept out the cold and the AMAZING bread and butter pudding she made.

James has posted a video of our hunt here.

As Ferrets usually come in pairs, they offer up some amusing naming opportunities.
James had a pair called Dead and Buried and a lad called Robin who lives in Scotland and has a Ferreting blog calls his business Purdey and Kalashnikov!

At the school gates I ran into young R, (well he ran into me) a lad in bushwacker jnrs class, he's absolutely fascinated with everything 'survival' and was proudly showing me his copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys when his mum showed up. She'd heard about the forthcoming trip from Mrs SBW and wanted to know if I'd been. I told her we'd gotten three rabbits
S. 'where are they? in a shed in the garden?
SBW 'No! they're in the freezer!'
S. 'NO!!!'
She scuttled off dragging young R behind her leaving me wondering is she still speaking to us or are we now a family of evil rabbit killing hillbillys?
As they say up north 'there's owt as queer as folk'
Thanks for reading
SBW

PS If your interested in getting started yourself Deben have a DVD, sell the locator collars and net making kits.

Picture Credit
Stained glass, Long Melford,Suffolk. Picture by chris chapman
Have a look at his fascinating site about the motif and it's appearance in medieval art across the world.

Been A While Hasn’t It?

Sorry for the lack of updates, my laptop is no more and I’ve lost access to quite a bit of stuff I’d been putting together for the blog. In the meantime I’ve been catching up on a bit of reading. As I searched for new bushcraft blogs I found some that are a great source of information and entertainment, and quite a few that fit into the ‘good intentions being cast into the tides of everyday life’ section where a great start is made, and then it becomes an abandoned ‘ghost blog’.

Laplandica has proved a fascinating read, with its mixture of hiking trails and a historical perspective on the clash of cultures between the settled Swedish people and the nomadic Sami of the Arctic Circle. Stunning photos too.

A new voice in outdoor blogging is RJ Mosca author of common outdoor survival skills. He been a prolific poster so far and as a former instructor at an outdoor skills school he’s put the stuff he recommends to some pretty tough tests.
(I would say something like ‘keep posting’ but who am I to talk?)

Falls-Down Laughing blogs a mixture of cringe-inducing puns, historical north American recipes and folk lore. A very silly man. Check him out

Only two days to go until I take to the field with James from Sporting Shooter, in a heroic effort to rid the ancestral lands of the Marchingtons from the delicious curse of the bunny rabbits.
wish us luck
Bushwacker.

Uncles Like Snakes Have Tales

The SAS survival trainer and all round legend Lofty Wiseman said 'where there's a snake there's a steak'.
Here in Blighty our best known native snake is an virtually an endangered species so I'm waiting until I'm stateside before i find out if the herpetofauna is succulent or chewy.
I'm hoping my wild food hero will post a comment and let us know.
In the meantime Nor Cal Cazadora has an uncle, the uncle has a hilarious turn of phrase, the turn of phrase has an outlet, the outlet is a blog, the blog has stories about snakes

"Torremolinos, Spain, 1975. I met a great white hunter at a party. He complained that by the mid-70s the great white hunting business wasn’t what it used to be. Thanks to unfriendly poachers, vigilant rangers and inflation, there just weren’t that many safaris any more. Things had come to such an ugly pass, he continued, that he was available for almost any reasonably legal employment. Consequently, when a British movie company came to his part of Africa on location, he signed on with them as an assistant animal handler."

And thereby hangs a tale........

All the best
SBW.
picture credit ( i've only seen one a couple of times and never this near to my house) © Lee Brady

Nordic Bushcraft

I've read posts by Johan of Nordic Bushcraft on one of the bushcraft sites, he knows his stuff so I've added him to my blog roll. For those of you you who always feel a the need for more cutlery (you know who you are) he has some really nice traditional knives for sale amongst other cool bushcrafty stuff. Well worth a look.
Thanks for reading
SBW

Undercurrents - The A to Z of Bushcraft

Undercurrents is a production company with a focus on social and environmental justice issues. Specialising in films reflecting the global counter-culture. They are a non-profit company working with video makers from communities who have been marginalised or overlooked by TV broadcasters.
They've been working with the charismatic Andrew Price, founder of Dryad Bushcraft to create this series of short films. I like them and think their efforts deserve a wider audience. See what you think.
Thanks for reading
Bushwacker.

Saw Feelings

Axes may give you more of a ‘woody woodsman’ feeling, but in most situations saws are a lot more practical. Especially if your trying to introduce the little people to the big outdoors. Saws let kids make a sizable contribution to the woodpile without scaring the living crap out of adult observers.

It’s been a while since I’ve prattled on about the horrific cost of living in ‘Rip Off Britain’… and its also time for your pal the bushwacker to help himself to a nice fat slice of humble pie.

A while ago I sang the praises of the BCB commando saw. Well I’ve had a change of heart. I couldn’t tell you why, but when outdoors I’d always preferred saws where both ends of the blade are secured. I don’t know why but I’ve taken it as an article of faith.

In support of this belief I have painstakingly filed the teeth of a cumbersome bow saw to vicious sharp (took ages) and wrapped the blade in cardboard for transportation. Then I moved over to the BCB saw, dumping its brittle blades for a wire saw that either stretched or clogged and most of the time did both. It was light enough, but frustrating.

When I was given that well loved staple of British bushcraft the Bahco Laplander saw for crimbo (it arrived a little after) I got to put my own BS (belief systems!) to the test. The scales fell from my eyes. This is one design classic that is actually worth its reputation. Really, it rocks!

Here in northern europe many of us have a built in preference for Swedish kit, it’s the land of top notch outdoor tools and clothing. Its tools like the Trangia, Laplander and fallkniven’s F1 that reinforce the prejudice.

First impressions of the Laplander:
The design is beautifully obvious, the Laplander convincingly locks shut as well as open. No more cardboard to protect the contents of my bag.
It weighs the sum total of ‘nack all’ (I couldn’t find the kitchen scales but it really is light).
Very, very sharp teeth, cleverly set to avoid clogging and binding. I once read a review that claimed the blade was made of two different thickness of steel wielded together, with the teeth cut from the thicker piece. I’ve not been able to verify this, but the teeth certainly leave a wide cut. I’ve not tried it on bone yet but I’m expecting great things.
The teeth nearest the handle are redundant, and if it were my design I might have chosen to put a choi there instead. The handle has a bit of flex to it but two things reassured me; its cold enough in Sweden to mean that plastics have to be chosen for their resilience in the cold, if a little flex is the price of not becoming brittle it’s a fair exchange. The other thing that gave me confidence is they sell replacement blades! When a tools is this cheap it usually just means disposable, I’m starting to suspect that in this case it mean that users have found that the handle lasts.

In the UK the best price I’ve seen is £20 inc delivery from Camelot Outdoor with the average being about £23 plus delivery. As usual being ‘just down the road’ from Sweden has no bearing on the prices we pay.
The good news if you’re in north America (or you’ve sorted out a means of shipping) is Bushcraft North West have the same saw made in the same factory just with a red Kershaw logo. It comes in at a measly $25 (£12.50p)! At that price you don’t have to take my word for it.

EDIT NEW BEST PRICE IS ONLY £13.49

Thanks for reading
Bushwacker

PS for a side by side comparison
PPS my cameras out of batteries, picture from camelots website

Bushwacker Edu. - A Knotty Problem

As James pointed out the other day, unless you come from a family who hunt or live in a small community where everyone knows everyone else, your chances of getting involved in hunting in the UK are relatively slim. The net result is that there are a few holes in my education.

John: Hey, Jeremy, what do you know about holes?
Jeremy Hillary Boob, PhD.: There are simply no holes in my education.
Paul: You mean you haven't composed a "hole" book?
The Beatles - The Yellow Submarine

James has invited me to go Ferreting in a couple of weekends time. As you can imagine I’m fairly excitable at the best of times, so he’d no sooner invited me than I was starting my preparations.
“Apart from my hat & coat what will I need to bring?”
“We’ll need some Purse Nets”
“Where do I buy them?
“Your making them – a kit’s in the post”
“ How difficult is it?”
“ Just one Knot, tied lots of times!”

So I’m about to start making some purse nets that we’ll stretch over the exits to the rabbits warren, before sending in his business of ferrets to flush the bunnies out.

Wish me luck - thanks for reading
SBW

Really Actually Tasty?

Much to my surprise the office has yielded a lesson in preparedness and survival this week.

Due to the early January lull when the rest of the world seems to still be on holiday. Last weeks office life was at a much slower pace than could be productive. The morning football conversation extended beyond its mandatory 20 minutes and peaked on Friday at an hour and a half.
Work, as it was, centered around half-hearted researching, most of the day went on teasing each other and reading stuff out from the internet.
One viral email caught everyone’s attention and made me think about the nature of our dinner and our expectations of it.

LOOKS GOOD

EASY TO COOK

PLENTY OF THEM ABOUT TOO!!


As we watched to squeals of horror, the question everyone was asking, well more shrieking than asking, was ‘Would you? – Could you!”.
Mr. Bojangles (the resident song and dance man) has lived in Senegal for ten years so he speaks with an authority the others cant muster.
“In lots of the parts of the world people eat all kinds of stuff”
Would you? Have you? You didn’t!
“I wouldn’t be surprised if I had, in a lot of places people just need to eat, you never know what you’re being served ”

In the Southern US and much of eastern europe squirrels are well known as good eating, a few people shoot them to eat here, and a couple of the more adventurous London restaurants have them on the menu.

Well they call squirrels ‘tree rats’, maybe these fellas should be re-branded as ‘ground squirrels’. Hmmmm?

Thanks for reading
Bushwacker.

I Want One - A Not So Occasional Series Pt2

I keep having a fantasy where there's erhm 'less of me to love' and as the weather warms up I'm thinking a bike ride to and from the office would be a step in the right direction. i could fix up my forgotten bike from the back of the shed, but it needs a lot of new parts, or i could use the inspiration of a gleaming new machine as impetus.
Or i could keep it legal by putting the money towards paying my tax bill...... Ho Hum

Whatever you decide to do with the new year, i hope it works out better than you intended. Or as the heyoka's heyoka once said
"May you live in interesting times - and get to be a part of them"
SBW
CHARGE a very cool bike co.

Easily Forage-able Resources. Online And In The Suburban Bush.

Every tribe or social grouping has its rituals and catchphrases, which let members identify each other, and let outsiders know they are outsiders. Sometimes these mantras set a frame of context, making sense of a situation and sometimes they serve to remind you how to do the business in challenging circumstances.

For as long as there’s been a fireside to return to at night, there’s been bush-lore passed on verbally by the light of the campfire, and now there’s the Bushcraft-Blog-Law. The law that dictates how a new tradition develops its tried and tested formulas, conventions and clichés. Leaving aside (for the moment), the obligatory pictures of knives, axes and hats that most of has used as symbols for our adventures. Every bushcraft blog must also pass on some timeless wisdom:
‘The-more-you-know-the-less-you-carry’.
Usually attributed to that wise old man of the hills Mors Kochanski.
Or if you wanted to ‘freshen up’ your pitch (or create your own trademark) it could
‘Make-up-for-what-you-don’t-have-with-what-you-do-know.’

As a culture develops there are also powerful totems which when invoked through stories and songs will provide insight and inspiration. Some people will find themselves wondering what Ray Mears would do. The wit and whiles of the coyote have served as a signpost to thinking beyond the expected in many North American cultures. In South Dakota I often wondered how BoB would have approached the task in hand and by emulating him was able to pass myself off as competent camper rather than reveal myself as a tubby desk jockey from the ‘burbs. But if I were to choose a guardian deity for suburban bushcraft it would have to be Wimbledon’s most famous residents…

I used to spend a lot of time with a really clever management consultant, who ran mind-bending workshops. A sort of Tobermory of consultancy, fixing up (and super charging) broken projects with stuff he found lying around. One of the really cool things that he taught us to do was, to see familiar behaviours (individual and organisational) as processes. Then to look at the process we’d uncovered in new and unexpected ways, until we could see other examples of when and where the behaviour or system attribute could perform another purpose. A bit like bushcraft and survival skills and of course just like the Wombles….

‘Making good use of the things that we find,
Things that the everyday folks leave behind.’

I really was starting to think that I’d seen all the bushcraft blogs of note, when I saw that a guy who posts on one of the bushcraft sites as Fenlander had started one, and its the best I’ve seen in ages. While most bloggers are enthusiastic amateurs afield (or incompetents-a-couch in the case of your pal the bushwacker) – This guy is skilled AND enthusiastic, what the Kiwis call ' a good keen man', check out the post where he and a pal test out the insulation provided by some woolen clothes. Brrrrr!!

As Fenlander demonstrates when the really skilled bushcrafters are out in the backcountry they find new uses for the thing that they find, stuff everyday folks would leave behind. Sadly my backcountry is more, well, suburban back-yard and it’s not so much things left behind, as crap folks throw over my back fence (everyday).

Look everyone SBW’s made a lantern!
(Without spilling any blood or severing a finger!!)

Meanwhile at the other end of the performance curve - Fenlander’s made a distress whistle that, ‘in a pinch’, could save your life.

Thanks for reading
Bushwacker

Ferreting Out Some Advice

I recently met with my new friend James Marchington editor of Sporting Shooter magazine.

If I had tried to imagine a quintessential English journalist afield, it would be James. Tweed jacket, spectacles and an encyclopedic knowledge of everything to do with guns and field sports. Sitting in his office surrounded by shotgun cartridges, rare books about deer stalking, ferreting and wildfowling he beguiled me with tales of life afield, cleared up numerous questions I had about firearms, their legislation, and the UK shooting fraternity. I had ‘popped in’ to see him for ‘half an hour’ and two and a half hours later I had to excuse myself so as to put in a token appearance at my own office. Wish I were still there.

James has kindly offered to induct me into the wiles and ways of the shooting gent, starting with an invitation to go ferreting for rabbits. With the proviso that I wouldn’t have to put any ferrets down my trousers, I enthusiastically accepted.

Ferrets? Rabbits? Trousers? What?
One very effective way of hunting rabbits is to flush them out of their holes by sending a ‘business’ of ferrets down there (great collective noun isn’t it).
You simply net off all the exits you can find and send a hob (male) and a jill (female) down the hole. When the rabbits come charging out into the net you kill them and eat them.

I’m from the south and you hear a lot of tall tales about the northerners and their strange rituals and antics. There has long been a folk legend about gentlemen of the northern persuasion using that that was intended for legs, as a storage place for these most able of helpers. Now it turns out that it’s true!! There really is a ‘sport’ called ‘ferret legging’ where you trouser ferrets and the last one to tear their own pants off in sheer terror is the winner. Probably more fun to watch than take part.

“Basically, the contest involves the tying of a competitor's trousers at the ankles and the subsequent insertion into those trousers of a couple of peculiarly vicious fur-coated, foot long carnivores called ferrets. The brave contestant's belt is then pulled tight, and he proceeds to stand there in front of the judges as long as he can, while animals with claws like hypodermic needles and teeth like number 16 carpet tacks try their damnedest to get out.”

The rules:"no jockstraps allowed. No underpants-nothin' whatever. And it's no good with tight trousers, mind ye. Little bah-stards have to be able to move around inside there from ankle to ankle."

For those of you without the inclination to read the full text here’s the punch line

The current record stands at an awesome 5 hours and 26 minutes!

Thanks for reading
SBW

PS One ferret, Freddie, is registered as an electrician's assistant with the New Zealand Electrical Workers Union.

Photo Credit

Tis Still The Season To Be Silly, Sigh........

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Baron Suburban Bushwacker the Bewildered of Middle Witchampton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Still in the office, not a lot happening here today
SBW

Tis The Season To Be Silly

There's more!

Christmas Card From Rex At The Deer Camp Blog

Where Rex blogs it's Christmas everyday!
The Deer Camp in question is at the Christmas Place Plantation Hunting Club, on the edge of the Mississippi Delta.
Happy Christmas Rex

SBW.

PS in case your wondering I'm four up and one in from the bottom right corner, wearing the hat.

How Many Ways Shall I Compare BoB To A Battered Trangia?

As the times and my tastes have changed, I’ve had a few different lives, each of them symbolised by a ‘trademark’ item. Some people I know well from office life have never seen me not wearing my trademark old school pinstripe suits, that bushcraft knife was witness to many a boyhood adventure in the wilds. The rogue floppy shows great promise as a trademark of adventures yet to come.

Luke Skywalker had his Light Sabre, Mors Kochanski has his Mora, and Ray Mears has his Woodlore. If there’s one thing I’ll always associate with BoB (or inspector gadget as he was known in the day) it’s the Trangia field cooker.

It’s a sigil for the man himself - you can get something that’s a little bit shinier, more fashionable, one that maybe boils a little faster, a little lighter, more ‘technical’ even. But when you want one that ‘is what it is’ and will never ever let you down the Trangia is yer man.

For 75 years the Swedish company has been making these simple pressed aluminum and brass field cookers. Cheap to keep, utterly dependable, and with a zero failure rate. BoB and the Trangia are a reflection of each other.

For about 20 of those years BoB has been carting them into some of the most inhospitable places this planet has to offer to heat some of the worst grub served by mortal man. As our mum said “ I have two sons, one eats to live, the other lives to eat”
With that in mind I’m starting a series of posts about trail food too go to feed to a dog.

Thanks for reading
Bushwacker.

Picture credit and stove review

Hmmm ‘Bushwacker'...........

I’ve been wearing some ‘city camo’ today in an attempt to pass myself off as one of the migrating herds of worker ants that make their way from the dormitory suburbs into the city each morning. I managed to escape the true horror of it all my riding in on my scooter instead of taking the train, but the city is a horrid experience. The whole self-perpetuating madness of it all really struck me, as I watched people try to alleviate the pain of the exercise by drinking £4 ($8!!) cups of frothy coffee which they will later pay to sweat off in the gym. Madness!!

I’ve worked with most of the guys I’ve joined before, so we spent a while chewing over the industry gossip and re-telling war stories for the benefit of the new guys. Well OK, we retold them for our own benefit and the new people got to listen.

On they way back home I reminded myself that I wasn’t immune to the insanity either, as I started to think of all the new stuff I would buy to convince myself that I really am an outdoorsman and hunter rather than another termite working to build the mound.

I owe I owe its off to work I go, I owe I owe it’s off to work I go……..

Bushwacker

Free Money - For What Its Worth

My blog is worth $11,855.34.
How much is your blog worth?

I saw this on the deptford dames blog and trying it out for myself was flattered to see that my blog has a value other than the entertainment it gives me and a few of you. Because the value is derived from the blogs technorati ranking I've just increased the deptford dames worth by mentioning her.

Thanks for reading
SBW

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook Joins My Blog Roll

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook has left this comment on a post

Bushwacker: I see it as my goal in life to get those who turn their noses up at game meats to shed their hang-ups and give it another go. If you ever need recipes for whatever it is you bring home this week, I have a fairly monstrous collection of wild game cookbooks and have a few tricks up my sleeve to make the wary drop their guard and pick up their forks...

His blog Honest Food: Finding the Forgotten Feast has made a great start, I'm looking forward to reading more, check him out!

Told you you wouldn't need to buy the papers this weekend!
bushwacker.